Huntington
Once a booming ranch town, Huntington would decline as The Peg rose in prominence. The last residents died out as their children sought their fortune, most of whom never returned home. History Huntington was originally a meadow near a thicket of trees before the War, and remained so after it, until a nomadic family camped there. The huntingtons, originally resting to feed their Bleaters, liked the peacefulness of the meadow, and decided to stay a few days longer. The discovery of a creek, wild potatoes, and a Jackalope warren convinced the nomads to settle, and they quickly built a pen and work-shed.The first winter was harsh for the Huntington clan, who were usually in Nebraska for it, but the absence of raiders was seen as a fair trade off. When Thaw arrived, the clan constructed a medium-sized cabin, wrapping their tents around the outside as insulation. Two members took some yarn and cheese and headed south into The Badlands Territory to trade. They returned with two new Bleaters, and a husband. The second winter passed much easier, and two new Huntingtons were born. Thaw of the third year saw a merchant pass through, who traded tools and a few old guns, and said he'd spread word to other traders. Several other merchants visited after that, along with two scavengers who were looking for a place to stay. The scavengers were allowed to stay, and helped build a trading post. Traffic picked up in the years following, until it was a regular caravan stop, and by 2146 boasted 46 residents, a dozen structures, and sturdier pens for Bleaters and Big-Horners. Huntington would also have it's first encounter with raiders in that year, with six coming into town to shake down the general store. While the shopkeeper played along, another of the clan saw the rough looking bunch entering, and gathered a posse who rushed the raiders as they left the store. After a short trial, the bandits were hung and then displayed outside of town as a warning. More travelers would pass through town, one of whom brought hops, which she traded for winter clothes. One of the Huntington clan saw the potential for the crop and planted a batch in 2148. He then made a still from old pictures and brewed his first batch that fall. The brew was bitter, but seen as a sign of progress in the growing town, and a saloon was built the next year in the center of town. The town was troubled in 2153 by an influx of predators, with most herds taking losses. While most townspeople trapped or killed what they could, one of the affected ranchers organized a hunt. It occurred on June 16th, and most ranchers and merchants participating, with many others turning out to watch. They succeeded in killing over thirty mole-rats and scores of bloat-flies, while only two hunters were injured. The animal attacks lessened after that, though occasional raider attacks started in the late 2150s, slowing trade. The attacks dropped off considerably in the next decade, and life resumed it's normal course, with the population topping seventy. The addition of a tannery to the town provided a boom for the leather industry, leading to an increased demand for Bleaters & Big-Horners. This demand brought cowboys and ranchers, many of whom settled there, either on a someone else's ranch or starting their own. During the 2170s traders from the nascent Peg arrived, eager to trade scavenge for fresh meat. The stories they told of a city untouched and awaiting looting attracted several young residents to the ruins, but most residents were happy just to trade. As Huntington grew over the next two decades, the increase of settlers led to trouble, usually assaults and robberies. As a result, the Huntingtons constructed a small jail and appointed one of their own as sheriff. As 2200 dawned, Huntington was a medium sized village, boasting a central 'downtown', dozens of farms and ranches, and over a hundred residents. The first decade of the new century was a bright one, with trade & agriculture bringing prosperity to the town and increasing the population to it's height in 2208. Disease visited the town in 2212, with an outbreak of Weeping Flu infected nearly the whole population and killing eight. Shortly there after a band of raiders attacked the town, killing thirteen and looting several stores before being forced out. Having lost a quarter of the town within two months, many residents became depressed. Trade also began to decline, and the next several years were spent recovering. Misfortune visited again in 2217 when the Hellfires, a mercenary/raider band, sacked the town on their way to The Peg. The mercenaries burned down several structures including the saloon, and killed eleven. The streak of bad luck convinced some to leave, while others tried to find a better sort of mercenary to protect the town. The latter group failed, but life resumed a sort of normalcy over the next few years until word of the Hellfires destruction reached Huntington. This caused celebration as well as a dozen of the town's youth to head to The Peg to try scavenging. By this point the town consisted primarily of elderly adults and young children, both of whom were susceptible to disease, Which arrived in 2226. Scarlet Fever was the visitor this time, and it ravaged the town, leaving less than thirty alive, and these hold-outs tried to send for relatives that headed to the city. Few would return to the diminished town however, and over the next eight years the remaining residents died, either from natural causes or lingering symptoms from disease. The surviving herd animals would escape from their pens and roam, many reverting to feralness, though some are sometimes tamed by passing traders or travelers who like wise stay the night and pick over the town. Economy Huntington initially functioned as a trade post, with most exchanges being done by barter with an occasional use of ring-pulls. As the town developed most exchanges would revolve around Bleaters, Big-horners or their products. Salvage and scrap from the city could be found towards the end of it's prime, though animals remained the primary method of exchange. Government The Huntington clan made most decisions in the town named after them, with each adult member getting a say on the matter. This system, while seeming exclusive actually included many medium and long-term residents, as many married into the clan over time. Layout The remains of Huntington's downtown consists primarily of husks, with a Waspoon nest in the jail. The outlying farms and ranches have fared slightly better, with walls still standing on most. The various pens have rotted away, though Bleaters still remain in the area, though not tame. Category:Manitoba Category:Sites